Starter or Finisher?

I've been struggling a bit this week because I've been mentally bogged down with unfinished projects. See, I agonize over having loose ends. Now these projects are all things I would like done, just not by me. I started each with the enthusiasm with which I begin every new project, but each of these began to bore me, at some point, and then were set aside for the next new shiny idea or project.

Has this happened to you?

Most times, when I realize that I have gotten to this state of inertia, I can look back and see lots of signs of what got me there. And each time, I vow that this will not happen to me again. This time, I even went so far as to decide I would frog all of the unfinished projects just to clean the slate. That was merely a mental exercise, as I just couldn't do that when it came down to it... why? because I really Like the projects, just had become bored with the final bit required to get them to their end state.

So, thinking about all of this today and thinking about my next project I'm excited about (the Central Park Hoodie KAL we are starting at the shop), I had this flash of insight/rememberance from my prior life as a corp exec. I tend not to think about that life much these days. But a smile came to my face when I remembered a workshop I participated in some years ago in the workplace. The question we needed to answer was if we were a starter or a finisher. In other words, if we could spend our days doing all the things we love most, would we be idea machines, trying out new ideas, starting projects to test them out, get the thrill from learning the next new thing, or do we most enjoy taking what others have created and making it our own, following their lead, but perhaps personalizing it and getting satisfaction and pleasure in the process of doing, learning from beginning to end, and enjoying the finishing.

I'm definitely a starter... I've abandoned at least as many projects in my lifetime as I've finished. The cool thing, though, about knowing which type you are I learned, is that you can push through to the other side :). So, in my case, I've decided to actually finish all these projects and get them off my plate rather than frog them, and free up my mental space to work on new things.

Here's one of those I hope to finish in the next couple of days:

This is the Weekender Jacket I started in January of 2009. The sleeves and fronts are done (and have been since last March), and so I started on the back tonight. I know I'm going to really like this when it's finished... as much because it will be FINISHED as the fact that I pushed through my boredom and disinterest to get it done! Meanwhile, I'm ho-humming rows... and imagining having a team member to turn over the project, at this point to finish it out. Ah, those days are gone, and that is a good thing!